Angle-adjusting apparatus for a housing of headrest display

ABSTRACT

An angle-adjusting apparatus for a housing of a headrest display, comprising an external housing having an opening at the outer side thereof, a cavity being formed and two sleeves being symmetrically arranged at both sides thereof, a spring element being provided at a top and a bottom side of the cavities, the spring element having a first projecting rib longitudinally extending at an internal side thereof; an internal housing having a front and a rear portion with an internal room for installing a display, a groove and two positioning sleeves corresponding to the cavities of the external housing being disposed at both sides of the internal housing, the internal housing further having a plurality of second projecting ribs at a position corresponding to the spring element; and a left link element and a right link element formed in a symmetric manner and received within the cavities of the external housing, respectively. Each of the left and right link elements includes an external and internal link portion both of which are locked on the external and internal housings, respectively, for a pivotal connection. And the joining end is limited to the lowest point so that a room is reserved to install the display in the small headrest. Moreover, the contact at both sides includes a plurality of engaging and positioning points to allow for a precise angle-adjustment and to protect from loosening due to the rocking action when driving. Accordingly, an optimal view angle can be achieved.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an angle-adjusting apparatus for a housing of aheadrest display, and more particularly to a housing that is adapted tothe headrest in an automobile to allow for a fine adjustment of the viewangle.

2. Description of the Related Art

For the recent years, miniaturization features the developments of thedisplay. The LCD displays have been widely installed in the automobiles.If the display is mounted at the front side of the automobile, itusually mounted on the top of the front panel of the car or embeddedtherein. The display is pulled out when used. If the display isinstalled in the area of the rear seat, it will be usually installed atthe center handrail of the front seat or under the roof, and the displaycan be pulled out of the roof when used.

If the display is installed under the roof for the rear seat passengers,the rearview mirror can't provide the driver with a complete view of thearea behind the vehicle when driving. If the display is installed at thecenter handrail of the front seat, it will make the limited space of therear seat even smaller.

As shown in FIG. 1, TW 520723 discloses a headrest display 11 that isfixed on a headrest 13 of the front seat by a positioning apparatus 12.Meanwhile, the view angle of the headrest display 11 can be adjusted byan adjusting apparatus 14. However, the headrest display 11 protrudesfrom the rear surface of the headrest 13, thereby occupying much spaceand affecting the whole appearance inside the car.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,556 discloses a display21 that is embedded in the back rest 22. A shift plate 23 is providedwithin the back rest 22 for fixing the display 21 in place. Both sidesof the top of the shift plate 23 are pivotally coupled to two projectingears 24 within the back rest 22. Thus, an angle adjustment of the shiftplate 23 can be ensured by use of the projecting ears 24 at the top sidethereof. However, the adjustment requires a built-in cable wire 25 andother components. Meanwhile, the back rest 22 has to be tilted backwardfor angle adjustment of the display 21. Therefore, the rear seatpassengers can't directly adjust the view angle of the display 21. So,this conventional apparatus is more suitable for the application to theseats of airplanes, but not for the seat of automobiles. Moreover, thedisplay 21 can't be removed for use elsewhere, thereby limiting therange of its use.

The applicant of the invention discloses a similar apparatus titled“VIEW ANGLE ADJUSTABLE DETACHABLE DISPLAY ASSEMBLY” in US 20050140845.It teaches a display installed at the rear side of the headrest of thefront seat. When the display is used by the rear seat passenger, itdoesn't occupy much space and won't affect the view of the area behindthe vehicle via the rear-view mirror. This prior art comprises mainly anexternal housing, an internal housing and a display. Meanwhile, it ischaracterized in that the internal housing can be turned at an anglewithin the external housing. Moreover, the display can be removed out ofthe internal housing. However, the assembly and the space arrangement ofthe internal and external housings leave still much to be desired.Accordingly, the dimensions of the external housing can't be reduced forthe installation of the display on a smaller headrest in a Europeanautomobile. In addition, means for adjusting the view angle by turningthe internal housing is too simple. After use for a certain period, themechanism is easily loosened, thereby affecting the angle-adjustingprecision and lowering the service life of this apparatus.

In view of the foregoing shortcomings of the prior art, the inventor ofthe present invention conducted extensive experiments and tests toovercome the shortcomings and to achieve the installation of the housingon the rear side of a small type headrest.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the invention to provide an angle-adjustingapparatus for a housing of a headrest display that can be embedded in arear side of a headrest and allow for a convenient adjustment of thedisplay upward or downward for achieving an optimal view angle.

Another object of the present invention to provide an angle-adjustingapparatus for a housing of a headrest display that includes a pluralityof positioning mechanisms to allow for an accurate adjustment of theview angle. In addition, the apparatus won't be loosened after used fora certain period or when driving on an uneven road, thereby prolongingthe service life of the apparatus.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, an angle-adjustingapparatus for a housing of a headrest display comprises:

a) an external housing having an opening at the outer side thereof, acavity being formed and two sleeves being symmetrically arranged at bothsides thereof, a spring element being provided at a top and a bottomside of the cavities, the spring element having a first projecting riblongitudinally extending at an internal side thereof;

b) an internal housing having a front and a rear portion with aninternal room for installing a display, a groove and two positioningsleeves corresponding to the cavities of the external housing beingdisposed at both sides of the internal housing, the internal housingfurther having a plurality of second projecting ribs at a positioncorresponding to the spring element; and

c) a left link element and a right link element formed in a symmetricmanner and received within the cavities of the external housing,respectively. Each of the left and right link elements includes anexternal and an internal link portion both of which are locked on theexternal and internal housings, respectively, for a pivotal connection.And the joining end is limited to the lowest point so that a room isreserved to install the display in the small headrest.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art in accordance with TW520723;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another prior art in accordance withU.S. Pat. No. 5,507,556;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the internal structure of the prior artin accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,556;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the invention that is embedded in aheadrest of an automobile;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an angle-adjusting apparatus for ahousing of a headrest display in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an external and an internalhousing in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a left link element inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the left link element inaccordance with the invention that is seen from another side;

FIG. 9 is a schematic drawing of the assembly of the left link elementin accordance with the invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic drawing of the assembly of the left link elementin accordance with the invention while the internal link portion isaligned with the external link portion;

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the external and internalhousings in accordance with the invention that is seen from anotherside;

FIG. 12 is a perspective assembly view of the external and internalhousings of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the invention by turning the internal housingat a certain angle relative to the external housing; and

FIG. 14 is a side view of the invention by turning the internal housingat another angle relative to the external housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 4, a display module D in accordance with the presentinvention includes an LCD display 40, an external housing 50, and aninternal housing 60 three of which are mounted on a rear side of aheadrest 30. The LCD display 40 has its specific dimensions. Theheadrest 30 in the European car gets smaller and smaller. In order toinstall the original LCD display 40 in the headrest 30 and have thefunction of adjusting view angle, the key point of the improvement liesin the design of the assembly of the internal and external housings. Theinvention is characterized in the special turning type adjustmentpositioning structure of the internal and external housings. In afollowing embodiment, the external housing 50 and the internal housing60 will be described in detail without the presence of the LCD display40.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the invention includes:

an external housing 50 having an opening at the outer side thereof, acavity being formed and two sleeves being symmetrically arranged at bothsides thereof, a spring element 53 being provided at a top and a bottomside of the cavities 51, the spring element 53 having a first projectingrib 531 longitudinally extending at an internal side of the springelement 53 (see FIG. 6);

an internal housing 60 consisting of a front and a rear portion 61, 62,a recess 63 being formed in the front portion 61 for accepting the LCDdisplay 40 (not shown in FIG. 6), a groove 64 and two positioningsleeves 65 corresponding to the cavities 51 of the external housing 50being disposed at both sides of the internal housing 60, the internalhousing 60 further having a plurality of second projecting ribs 66 at aposition corresponding to the spring element 53, wherein the secondprojecting ribs 66 in accordance with the embodiment are arranged insuch a fan type that the external side is wide and the internal sidenarrow, and wherein the first projecting rib 531 of the spring element53 of the external housing 50 can engage into a gap between every twoadjacent second projecting ribs 66; and

a left link element 70L and a right link element 70R formed in asymmetric manner and received within the cavities 51 of the externalhousing 50, respectively, each of the left and right link elements 70L,70R having an external link portion 71 and an internal link portion 72.

Since the left link element 70L and the right link element 70R have thesame structure except that their opposite symmetric positions aredifferent, only the left link element 70L is selected for furtherdescription with reference to FIGS. 7 through 10.

The external link portion 71 includes a wider strip 711 with a sleeve712 outwardly projecting in the middle thereof. A plurality of axialinsertion slots 713 is formed on the inner wall of the sleeve 712 whilethe outer wall of the sleeve 712 includes two first connection pieces714 each with one fixing hole 7141 at one end thereof. The fixing holes7141 correspond to the sleeves 52 of the external housing 50; therefore,the external link portion 71 can be fixed on the external housing 50 byscrews 73, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate how theother right link element 70R is secured to the external housing 50 andthe internal housing 60. Referring back to FIGS. 7 and 8, the internallink portion 72 includes a narrower strip 721 with an externalprotrusion 722 extending outwardly. The external protrusion 722 includesa plurality of tongues 723 that are correspondingly engaged into theaxial insertion slots 713 of the external link portion 71. Moreover, thenarrower strip 721 further includes a second connecting piece 724perpendicularly extending from an internal side thereof. A fixing hole7241 is formed in the second connecting piece 724. Meanwhile, a fourthprojecting rib 725 corresponding to a plurality of third projecting ribs715 of the wider strip 711 is longitudinally formed on an external sideof the internal link portion 72.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the internal link portion 72 isinclined in such a manner that its tongues 723 can engage into the axialinsertion slots 713 of the external link portion 71. By turning it at acertain angle, the internal link portion 72 is pivotally secured to theexternal side of the axial insertion slots 713. Thereafter, the narrowerstrip 721 is turned to an upright position such that it rests on aninternal side of the wider strip 711. After assembly, the left linkelement 70L and the right link element 70R are illustrated in FIG. 6.

Still, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the joined link elements are fittedto both sides of the internal housing 60. FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrateonly the right link element 70R. The left link element 70L correspondsto the right link element 70R in a symmetric manner so that no furtherdescriptions are given hereinafter. First of all, the second connectingpiece 724 of the internal link portion 72 is locked by screws 74 in thegroove 64 and the positioning sleeves (not shown in FIG. 11) of theinternal housing 60. Then, the internal housing 60 is tilted in such away that the left link element 70L and the right link element 70R fitinto the cavities 51 of the external housing 50, respectively. Finally,the first connection pieces 714 are locked by screws 73 on the sleeves52, respectively. In this way, the internal housing 60 is pivotallycoupled to the inside of the external housing 50.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, three positioning and adjusting mechanismsare present between the internal housing 60 and the external housing 50.The first positioning mechanism is that the external protrusion 722 ofthe internal link portion 72 locked within the internal housing 60 fitsinto the sleeve 712 of the external link portion 71 locked within theexternal housing 50. By turning the tongues 723 at one angle to engageon the external side of the axial insertion slots 713, the external linkportion 71 and the internal link portion 72 are joined in place. Thesecond positioning mechanism is that the gaps between the adjacent thirdprojecting ribs 715 at the inner side of the wider strip 711 of theexternal link portion 71 are adapted to accept the longitudinal fourthprojecting ribs 725 of the narrower strip 721 of the internal linkportion 72, thereby creating a multi-stage positioning mechanism. Thethird positioning mechanism is that the second projecting ribs 66 aredisposed at the top and bottom sides of the internal housing 60 in sucha fan type that the external side is wide and the internal side narrow.Meanwhile, the gaps between every two adjacent second projecting ribs 66can be used to lock the first projecting rib 531 of the spring element53 on the external housing 50 in place. Thus, the above-mentionedpositioning mechanisms can simultaneously work when the angle adjustmentof the internal housing 60 receiving the display is made relative to theexternal housing 50. In this way, a high stability is ensured and ashaking action is avoided. Besides, the whole link structure isskillfully disposed within a space between the external housing 50 andthe internal housing 60, thereby minimizing the dimensions of the wholestructure for a smooth insertion of the display into the rear side ofthe headrest 30. In addition, the sample of the invention can be exactlyfitted to the rear side of the headrest 30, thereby creating aconvenient view angle adjusting mechanism.

Many changes and modifications in the above-described embodiment of theinvention can, of course, be carried out without departing from thescope thereof. Accordingly, to promote the progress in science and theuseful arts, the invention is disclosed and is intended to be limitedonly by the scope of the appended claims.

1. An angle-adjusting apparatus for a housing of a headrest display,comprising: a) an external housing having an opening at the outer sidethereof, a cavity being formed and two sleeves being symmetricallyarranged at both sides thereof, a spring element being provided at a topand a bottom side of the cavities, the spring element having a firstprojecting rib longitudinally extending at an internal side thereof; b)an internal housing having a front and a rear portion with an internalroom for installing a display, a groove and two positioning sleevescorresponding to the cavities of the external housing being disposed atboth sides of the internal housing, the internal housing further havinga plurality of second projecting ribs at a position corresponding to thespring element; and c) a left link element and a right link elementformed in a symmetric manner and received within the cavities of theexternal housing, respectively, and each of the left and right linkelements including; i) an external link portion having a wider stripwith a sleeve outwardly projecting in the middle thereof, a plurality ofaxial insertion slots being formed on the inner wall of the sleeve, theouter wall of the sleeve including two first connection pieces each withone fixing hole at one end thereof, the fixing holes corresponding tothe sleeves of the external housing such that the external link portioncan be fixed on the external housing by screws, a plurality of thirdprojecting ribs being disposed at a top and a bottom end of the innerside of the wider strip of the external link portion; and ii) aninternal link portion having a narrower strip with an externalprotrusion extending outwardly, the external protrusion including aplurality of tongues that are correspondingly engaged into the axialinsertion slots of the external link portion wherein, by turning thetongues at a certain angle, the internal link portion is pivotallysecured to the external side of the axial insertion slots, and whereinthe narrower strip is turned to an upright position such that it restson an internal side of the wider strip, and wherein a fourth projectingribs corresponding to the third projecting ribs of the wider strip islongitudinally formed on an external side of the internal link portion,and wherein the narrower strip further includes a second connectingpiece perpendicularly extending from an internal side thereof, andwherein a fixing hole is formed in the second connecting piece, andwherein the second connecting pieces corresponding to the positioningsleeves of the internal housing are fixed by screws on the internalhousing.
 2. The angle-adjusting apparatus for a housing of a headrestdisplay as recited in claim 1 wherein a plurality of second projectingribs is disposed at both sides of the internal housing in such a fantype that the external side is wide and the internal side narrow, andwherein the gaps between every two adjacent second projecting ribs areadapted to lock the first projecting rib of the spring element in place.3. The angle-adjusting apparatus for a housing of a headrest display asrecited in claim 1 wherein a plurality of third projecting ribs isdisposed at a top and a bottom end of the internal side of the externallink portion in such a fan type that the external side is wide and theinternal side narrow, and wherein the gaps between every two adjacentthird projecting ribs are adapted to correspondingly lock the fourthprojecting rib of the narrower strip in place.